Though this topic has been discussed other places, I thought it could exist here and be updated as new products hit the market.
I’m looking for an inexpensive recording solution to pick up new tunes at sessions. Digital would be nice, to interface with the computer in mp3 or wav format. Not looking for super high quality or a unit that would need anything more complicated than pressing a single button when a nice one comes up that I’d like to learn later.
Anyone have something like this that they like and use frequently ?
Sounds like you want a Zoom H2.
It will record anything, it’s simple to use, and easy on batteries. It uses AA types, so you can carry an extra set if you need more recording time.
When you get home you just pop the SD card into the PC and copy off the files. I tend to just leave it running, so that way I don’t even need to remember to hit the record button. I just find the parts I want to keep later and copy them out.
I have a Zoom H4n too. It makes better quality recordings. It also has a built in speaker, and it can slow down as well.
I agree with the above, but for informal use, almost any mp3 player or smart phone has a recorder built in that gives good enough results for session use. I’ve actually been surprised at how good these recordings sound, and have picked up lots of new session tunes that way.
The folks I know who own Zoom recorders and the like rarely ever use them.
I use and recommend the Olympus LS10. The build quality is really good and the sound is excellent. I’m told that there is a bit of low-end rolloff on the mike preamps that might be an issue if you are recording loud rock music, but I’ve found it flawless for trad.
Another vote for the Zoom H2. I own and use iPhone recording apps which work very well. I find FourTrack to be a very nice app. But if you want fidelity and flexibility and convenience, the H2 offers a tremendous bang for the buck. Plus it is a fantastic USB mike if you do interviews, conferences or podcasting. No phone will do that.
The American Audio Pocket Record has stereo condenser microphones, and it’s less expensive than the Zoom H2. It doesn’t double as a USB mic, however. But you can plug 1/4 inch plugs into it, and you can use USB to transfer files to your computer.
Ubizmo
I have (and use) a Zoom H4, and it’s great (REALLY great, actually), but way more than you need for your purposes. Same goes for the H2. If you have an iPhone, get iTalk - it does a superb job for what you want. You can even sync it to your computer. Having that app, the TradTunes app, the tuner app, and the metronome app, I’ve got almost everything I need at any time. I can even video sessions as well! Oh yeah, it’s a phone, too!
Enough commercial, I guess… I suspect any of the smart phones can come close to this functionality.
plunk111 has it exactly right. I have an H4 too, and it’s a fantastic recorder, but it is terrible overkill if all you want is a quick, rough recording of a tune from a session. For that, the TapeRecorder app on my Droid is much more handy. It’s on a device I almost always have ready in my pocket, it starts up with two quick button presses, and it records a time-stamped WAV file that can easily be synced to the computer via USB or e-mailed. (I guess it can do OGG as well, but not MP3.)
Zoom H1 Handy Stereo Digital Recorder
is just released, smaller and cheaper than the H2 ($99 / £89),
and just about to be in the shops. Looks interesting.
That looks extremely cool, I’ll have to check it out!
and I just bought the H2
it has already had good use and I like the SD cards better than those ‘cough where did it go’ microSD cards
I have the H2 and like it but I agree that it is more than you need. It also won’t suit for the use of “ooh, that’s a nice tune, let me quickly turn it on and grab it” as it has a startup delay before it’s ready to record. I’ve noticed that the larger the SD card in the H2, the longer the delay is between turning it on and being able to record, so I’m sticking with a small card and removing the data as soon as practicable. On a 512 MB card it says I can record for 8 hours, on the midrange MP3 format settings I’ve selected.
The benefit of the Zoom
http://www.dv247.com/studio-equipment/zoom-h4n-handheld-digital-recorder--61412
is that, as it has professional XLRs in, you can actually achieve a very high standard of recording especially if you use a high end microphone into a high end pre-amp then into one or both of the XLRs. It is possible to get a professional studio quality recording. Then of course it doubles as a MP3 field recorder.
I do understand that all that you need is a quick firing mp3 recorder with long battery life and built in mics and a bit of a speaker for quick monitoring… but you have to be tempted if you are ever to share your musings with the rest of the world.
Regards
H
http://www.box.net/shared/av4ot966ah F Pratten Flute with F. Convention & Rob Fox
http://www.box.net/shared/zz1dr5c0p9 Connelly’s reel (unless someone has proper title)
If you already have an i-pod touch, then you can buy a $0.99 microphone off amazon and use the free recorder app. It’s not a stellar recroder, but it will do the job of capturing a tune for later listening.
I have an Edirol R09. More expensive than the Zoom H2 and about the same price as a Zoom H4. They were more expensive still when I bought it as they were the only quality “pocket” recorders available at the time. I have been more than satisfied with it. I don’t know how its feature set compares with the Zoom recorders but the recording quality with the internal mics is pretty good as far as I can tell. I use it in preference to trying to record directly into the computer as it gives me a “clean” recording with no noise and it is easy to transfer the files to the computer for editing afterwards.